In presenting this contrast, I certainly am not saying that I see a film celebrity as anything less than a political leader. Any comparison between people from different walks of life is baseless in the first place, for their efforts cannot be quantified and therefore, cannot be compared. It remains beyond doubt though that the definition of the word ‘icon’ has undergone drastic change over the years. And in consequence, people who once would not seem deserving of the term are today being lauded with this tag.

To begin with, what constitutes an ‘icon’? From common sense, I’d say it has to mean somebody who has accomplished something extraordinary and/or possesses outstanding qualities that sets her/him apart from the masses. In this context, it goes without saying that an overwhelming number of our freedom fighters and martyrs were considered icons and rightfully so. It does take guts to stare your colonisers in their eyes and demand freedom. Similarly, it would be an insult not to consider Vishwanathan Anand an icon. He was one of the few in this cricket-crazed nation to bring the spotlight to another sport. These were people that were made of guts and gumption, who drew attention for their inherent merit and not owing to antics. What insults their innate ‘icon-ness’ is the fact that today, there’s an entirely different and if I may permit myself to say, even lesser breed, that’s vying for the same title.

So today, you have a Rakhi Sawant being told on national television that she’s an icon for the country’s women, owing to her ‘cheek’. The likes of Mallika Sherawat are icons too, for ‘being able to appear unabashedly bold and also carrying it off effortlessly”. Salman Khan is a major ‘icon’ too, for the way he can “be himself, and not make bones about how he is perceived”. It seems it doesn’t take much any more to be an ‘icon’. What is dangerous though, is the concept of ‘youth icons’. Just when did Raghu Ram of Roadies become a role model for youth? It seems the entire bandwagon of Nike-sporting, angrezi gaalis-mouthing brigade on music channels are ‘youth icons’. In a country where it is being endlessly chanted that only the ‘new generation’ has some potential to change the nation, does it even make sense to call people icons for their ability to effortlessly mouth obscenities?

A whole lot of the blame here goes to the media. It is a well-known fact that if even a gross untruth is repeated n number of times, it will start appearing correct after a while. With the number of times radio jockeys, TV anchors and award-show emcees call Salman Khan a ‘star’, he would be tempted to believe it himself. And people would accept it too. No wonder even pint-sized starlets ask for presidential suites as accommodation on shoots these days. It seems the actual definition of an ‘icon’ is in a haze. Till the time we figure that out, aided suitably by the media of course, Mallika Sherawat and her ilk will continue to enjoy their moment in the sun.